Hi Everyone!
Well, I’ve finally done some updates to the Tour Stage Maps on the site. Here’s a little summary of the plans by day from July 28 – August 5, 2018:
July 28: Community Ride (meet at Alberta Children’s Hospital apple orchard) and we start a 25 km cycle at 4 p.m. See previous blog for details and link to route map!
July 29: Day 1 of the big ride. Weather looks HOT, and this should be a nice ride (with a few hills) from Calgary out to 22X, down 194 St to Black Diamond, and from there on Hwy. 22 to the Old Man River! Hopefully there is room at the first come, first serve camping at Maycroft Provincial Recreation Area!
July 30: Day 2 – Hopefully today will be a fairly relaxing day of riding down to Waterton, with a few more hills, and some opportunities to stop and smell the wildflowers! A ride to the upper lake is an option!
July 31: Day 3 – Where did July go, anyway?! The mileage picks up today as I’m headed back out of Waterton to Cardston, then SE and E all the way to Writing-on-Stone Park. The only camping spots left were RV spots, so it should be spacious camping!
August 1; Day 4 – So excited that I am heading to Medicine Hat today to see Corrie and David! It could be a day of headwind or tailwind, but current forecasts after the mini heat wave have a cool down pattern in the weather, which might mean a northerly headwind!
August 2; Day 5 – Adding on the miles, heading out of the Hat, and NE on Highway 22 through eastern Alberta. Crossing into Saskatchewan (pirates beware) and then to Burstall, Leader, over the South Saskatchewan River, and on to Eastonia (looks like a cool small town)
August 3: Day 6 – Excited that Jane and Dave are going to join me this evening (driving in from Camrose). We hope to make it to Elbow to visit some friends, but Outlook on the shores of the South Saskatchewan is also a possibility!
August 4: Day 7 – May the fun begin Jane and Dave! I’ve got a feeling I am going to be so happy to put some of my bags in your car (can I, oh please??). Wait, I have to carry them all? Today we follow close to the South Saskatchewan River into Saskatoon. We have a nice little route planned along the river bike paths. Then it’s off up Highway 2 to Duck Lake, land of the NW Rebellion. Not sure if we’ll get a detour over to Batoche!
August 5; Day 8 – Are we there yet? Not quite, but how come this tour went by so fast? Today, we have exciting plans to visit the Family Room at the Victoria Hospital in P.A., hopefully catch up with the Gariepy’s, take a little detour west to Shellbrook (if it hasn’t rained), then head north to the edge of Prince Albert National Park. From there, it’s a nice little stretch of beautiful gravel to the park gate, then on to Emma Lake! We should be having a little celebration with the good folks from Ronald McDonald House Charities-SK and, of course, Lorisa’s massive family gathering!
Tait family adventures 